NRW rail authorities criticise draft law on rail reform

The draft provides for a 21-member administrative board (seven each from NWL, VRR and go.Rheinland) and a basic rail service covering only 70% of today's network, funded with at most EUR 1.5 billion; the transport associations would be promised just half of their funding needs. The authorities criticise the lack of municipal say, unquantified transformation costs, disadvantages for rural areas and an unrealistic timetable up to 1 January 2027; one legal opinion regards the draft as unconstitutional and several district administrators signal readiness to sue.

The state of NRW wants to merge responsibility for regional rail services into a new public body, Schiene.NRW, whose 21-member administrative board would have seven seats each for NWL, VRR and go.Rheinland; the target start is 1 January 2027. The cabinet draft provides a basic service of 70% of today's regional rail network, backed by at most EUR 1.5 billion, while the transport associations would receive only 50% of their needs. NWL (statement of 6 October 2025, consultation of associations until the end of October) and go.Rheinland, AVV and VRS (24 October 2025) demand fundamental changes: they see municipal co-determination, rural services and funding as unsecured, say transformation costs are unquantified, and cite a legal opinion that deems the draft unconstitutional. (LOK Report, 24 Oct 2025)